does anyone know why practice pads are so darn expensive. i mean seriously 30 bucks for the cheapest 12 inch pad is more than i make in 5 weeks.
thanks

Well, practice pads aren't exactly the biggest industry around. Also, the cost for materials must be pretty high. I'm presuming gum rubber is expensive.

They aren't exactly a necessity. If you don't make much money, don't buy one.

I really can't see the reasoning behind that statement. What other ways are there (besides practicing on an actual drum, which is often not possible for many people) to improve your drumming technique? Maybe you should rephrase that comment as "If you don't want to ever get good at playing drums, don't buy one."

Practice pads are worth it if you plan to improve your percussion skills. Even if you are lucky enough to own your own drum, chances are you do not get much opportunity to play it, due to potential conflict with neighbors, family, etc.

Back on topic.... Well, as Dave correctly pointed out, practice pads aren't a very in-demand product, so to compensate, the manufacturers and retailers must raise the prices. The rest probably comes from the gum rubber used to make most pads, which, I assume, is the most expensive component (in most cases.) If you want to do a little detective work, you could look up prices for bulk gum rubber sheets. Maybe even do a little DIY and put your own pad together with some help from your local hardware store, which would likely have all the necessary components in stock (I believe there are some on this forum that have done this.)

You have a pretty bad job if it takes you more then 5 weeks to make $30. Just thought I would put that out there.

But I mean, it's not really that bad, those pads will also last you really long. It's a very worth it investment.

It's a solid investment if you love music, and love to play drums at a higher level. As 9Volt correctly pointed out, you only get so many times to use a real drum. I myself own a Pearl 14x12, and I use my baby 3 to 4 times a year. My pads however, are daily hackers. You don't need to own an arsenal, just one solid dependable pad that will last you year to year, on the bus and off it, and arena to arena.

Another thing you could use at home would be the ScoJo Practice Sticks. They're pretty good for playing around in your house or wherever you are as long as you have a surface to play on

Yo, Try Ebay. They have some cheaper priced Practice Pads on there.

Take a mouse pad (1-2) and glue it onto a piece of wood.

You can get a Remo Putty Pad if money is an issue. They're like $6 and you can play it anywhere. And some practice Scojo's wouldn't hurt either. Just trowing some ideas out there

That is the best pad I ever had. In fact it is still the only one I ever really use. I didn't even glue mine down. It is even more portable as just a mouse pad. And you can get a dozen at Staples for $1.75